Demons
by Mystic Deadman
Summary: Can we ever really let go of the past? Or will something we try to hide deep within eventually catch up to us?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer in profile. For my sanity, I've named the Ichijouji eldest daughter, middle son and youngest son Rena, Sora and Shu respectively.**

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Ken stared at the burning vehicle in shock. Everything within was lost to him in an instant._

The Ichijouji family sat in the brand new SUV the head of the household had recently purchased. Detective Ken Ichijouji sat in the driver seat, carpooling his family from the late-evening movie they had just finished watching to their home. His loving wife, Miyako, took the front passenger seat. She was twisted around to try and quiet the two arguing children in the back.

"The movie sucked, Rena, and you know it!" The young boy yelled at his older sister.

"Shut up, Sora!" Rena yelled back. "You're just too young to appreciate a classic series like _Toy Story_!"

"Maybe, but I'm old enough to know when a movie sucks!"

"Shut up!"

"Be quiet, you two." Miyako hissed. "Shu's trying to sleep."

True to her word, the youngest child, Shu, was nestled into his car seat in a peaceful slumber. His older siblings looked down at him. Moments of silence passed as everyone who had moved out of their comfortable positions slid back into their seats.

"The movie still sucked." Sora muttered under his breath. "Ow!"

Rena slid back into her seat after reaching over her baby brother's car seat to slap her brother on the back of the head. Miyako snapped around again, her face twisted in anger.

"That's enough!" She hissed again. "If I hear another thing out of you two again, you're going to get it and get it hardcore! Do you understand me?"

Neither of the children responded. Miyako huffed in frustration and turned to her ever-loving husband.

"Ken! Say something!"

Instead of answering her, he turned the vehicle into a gas station.

"What are you doing?" She asked as her husband killed the engine.

"Getting some gas, water, duct tape and sleeping pills." He answered as he smiled and opened his door. Rena and Sora's eyes bugged out. "Want anything?"

"A diet soda and a flyswatter, please."

"On it." Ken smirked. He stepped inside the small store next to the gas pumps and quickly collected the items in question (sans duct tape and pills, of course) and approached the cashier. Despite his speed, general patience inside the SUV gradually diminished.

"Where is he...?" Miyako hissed.

"He needs to hurry," Rena added.

"I know that. Stopping wasn't part of the plan." Miyako looked at the watch on her wrist and noted the time. "8:59...hurry..."

Sora spoke up as he looked inside the store. "The cashier's chatting him up."

Miyako looked inside herself. Sure enough, the female cashier attendant shared a joke with Ken that both laughed at.

"We're not going to make it." Rena sang.

"Shut up."

"We're not, and you know it. He's wasting time in there."

Miyako's patience thinned even more. "I said shut up."

"She's right. We won't make it at this rate."

Ken finally stepped out of the store and made his way toward his new SUV. Miyako looked at her watch one more time. 9:00 pm.

"Damn."

A smile ran across Rena's face. "Told y-"

She never finished her sentence. The vehicle erupted in a fireball of flame, glass and steel. Ken, who hadn't gotten to the SUV just yet, was knocked back by the explosion's shockwave. Shards of glass and steel showered Ken, forcing him to shield his face with his arms. Once the shrapnel shower ended, he lowered his arms and slowly rose to his feet.

The SUV continued to burn. Nearby pedestrians slowly gathered at a distance to see the spectacle of death. Emergency response teams quickly made their way to the scene, their sirens unheard by Ken. Despite his best efforts, Ken found himself unable to either hear or move. The shockwave effectively knocked out his hearing, while fear and disbelief paralyzed him.

Ken stared at the burning vehicle in shock. Everything within was lost to him in an instant.

**

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Despite the content in this chapter, I haven't seen Toy Story 3 yet. The first two were great, so if I do see it, it's got some standards to live up to.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer in profile.**

_The two turned to the source of the voice. Three unfamiliar faces stood on the opposite side of the room._

"DEMONS"

Ken sat in the back of an ambulance. Bandages covered his face where metal and glass cut into him. An EMT worked on pulling shards of glass from his badly cut arms. He winced each time a shard was yanked out. He eventually tired of the treatment.

"I'm fine." He snapped at the EMT. She wouldn't have any of it.

"I don't think so, Detective." She snapped back. "You've got more glass in your arms than a church has in its windows." She ripped out another shard from Ken's arm. Ken yanked his arm away.

"I said I'm fine. I'll see my doctor in the morning." He said as he walked away, not giving his torturer a chance to answer. She held up her arms in exasperation.

Ken surveyed the scene he found himself in. Flashing light in various colors illuminated the otherwise dark night. Fire- and policemen milled around the wreckage that used to be his car. The car itself had virtually been torn in half by the explosion, leaving everything from the engine down in a smoldering pile of steel. He watched as four nylon bags were loaded into a truck labeled "Coroner."

Ken brought his hand up to his face and rubbed hard, taking care not to reopen any of his cuts. No tears ran down his face. No sense of dread or loss remained in his otherwise drained body. Why wasn't he more devastated? He should be crying. He watched as everyone he loved was killed in a car explosion. He should be damning God for taking his family away from him. So why did he feel like he was rubbing away the headache he'd get when he was called in to work on his day off? Why was his first instinct to start interrogating any witnesses, rather than break down in agony?

_Maybe this job's getting to me_, he thought to himself.

"Ichijouji!" A voice called to him, snapping him out of his impromptu self evaluation. He turned to the source of the voice. The police chief, Yuri Ikatani, approached him. Her slow walk indicated to him that she was going to try to be sympathetic. The victims were, after all, his family. "How are you doing?" She asked.

"Better than I should be," was all he could say.

"You look like hell." She observed. She was never one to mince words, in Ken's mind.

He humorlessly chuckled. "Trying to look like you, I suppose."

"What happened?" Ikatani asked as she pulled a small notepad out of her pocket. "Start at the beginning."

Ken sighed before recalling the night's events. "It was supposed to be a family day. We spent most of the day at home. We didn't leave until about 6:00 pm. I took the family out to eat at a local Italian restaurant. We were there for about an hour and a half. Once we were done, we went to the movie theater and watched a movie. We were supposed to go home after that, but we were running low on fuel, so I pulled in at the pumps. I stepped into the store over there," he pointed to the station's store, "to pay for the gas and a few things. I left and walked back to the car. I was a few feet away when...well..."

Ikatani nodded as she wrote down what Ken had to say. "Which restaurant did you go to?"

Ken frowned, trying to remember. Nothing came to him. "I...don't remember. Everything's a bit fuzzy right now." Ikatani nodded again.

"Makes sense. You look pretty rattled. Can you remember what theater you went to?"

Ken shook his head. "No."

"Go home." Ikatani ordered as she walked away.

"No." The chief stopped and turned to Ken with a stern look on her face.

"That wasn't a suggestion, Detective."

"I know. I've got a job to do."

"Not tonight, you don't. Go home. Get some rest. Come in tomorrow."

Ken quickly approached his chief. "You can't do this." He hissed so that nobody else could hear him. "You can't take me off this case. It's my family, dammit."

"I never said I was doing that. Go home. You can start your investigation tomorrow. Right now, you need to get some sleep." With that, she walked to her own car and drove off.

Ken sighed, taking one last look at the wreckage before starting the long walk home. His apartment wasn't too far from where the accident was, but it didn't do anything make the walk feel as short as it was.

He stalked his way down the street, head hanging low. _Miyako...Rena...Sora...Shu..._He remembered their smiling faces. The way Shu peacefully slept when he wasn't crying for a need. The way he and Miyako would simply sit on the couch in their living room, happily watching TV with one another while Wormmon and Hawkmon slept at the end of the couch.

_Oh God..._he realized. _The Digimon...How am I going to tell them about what happened? How are they going to take it? _Before he knew it, he stood at the front door of his apartment. He solemnly pulled the keys to the door out of his pocket. _Well, here we go..._

He stepped into the door, expecting to be tackled by Wormmon as he usually was when he came home. Instead, nothing. No spider webs. No leaping green digital worm. No "Ken! You're home!" Instead, all he heard was the sound of the television in the living room. He slowly walked into the room to turn it off when he saw the family's Digimon partners gathered around the couch, staring intently at the screen. A news program was airing, detailing the events of the explosion.

Wormmon eventually noticed Ken standing in the room. He slowly turned to face his partner, tears streaming down his face.

"Ken..." He said. The others turned to Ken, all crying as well. Ken sat down on an empty space on the couch, allowing the Digimon to gather around him. He picked up as many of them as he could, embracing them as tightly as he could. For the first time that night, tears ran down his face as he finally joined his second family in crying.

His youngest son's Leafmon sat on his shoulder. "Daddy...?" Ken had gotten used to his children's partners addressing him as their father.

"Yes...?"

"They'll be back, right? They just have to reconfigure themselves, right?" Ken slowly shook his head.

"It doesn't work that way here. When you die, you can't come back. You're gone forever..." Leafmon shuddered, a new sense of sadness washing over him.

He carefully set down the assortment of Digimon in his arms. "I'm going to go take a shower. You guys should get to bed." All the Digimon slowly made their ways to the bedrooms, knowing that the people they'd often shared beds with wouldn't be joining them. Ken himself sighed, wiping away his tears as he watched the melancholy parade disappear into various rooms. That was probably the most difficult five minutes of his life. He turned the TV off, thankful that it did a good amount of the work for him.

The shower didn't last long. The otherwise warm water stung against Ken's cuts, making what should've been a comfortable shower excruciatingly unbearable. Once his pajamas were on, Ken slid into his room and onto the bed. Pulling the covers over him, he immediately missed the feeling of another person snuggling against him. Ken sighed, wondering if he'd get any sleep that night.

* * *

The next morning, much to his surprise, Ken woke up rather refreshed. Something wasn't right. He had fallen asleep rather quickly the night before. He didn't bother remembering what had happened to him, what he had lost. No nightmares interrupted his slumber. He wasn't even bothered by the lack of lavender that was usually next to him in the mornings. It was if everything, even the last decade or so, had never happened. Frowning, he quickly got out of his bed and showered again.

Once finished, he reentered his bedroom, fishing a light-gray button-down shirt, a pair of dark-gray slacks, and a lavender tie. Miyako had often admonished her husband for his interest in colors, or lack thereof. He chuckled to himself as the thought crossed his mind. _How would she react if she knew I was investigating her death in the same outfit I always wear? _He thought to himself. _She'd probably have a conniption fit._

After he finished getting dressed, he stepped out into the living room where Wormmon awaited him.

"Ken, where are you going?" The small Digimon asked as Ken fastened his badge to his belt.

"To work." Ken answered simply as he slid his gun holster next to his badge.

"You are going to catch the people who did this, right?"

Ken slipped on a white coat before answering. "For their sake, Wormmon, they'd better hope I don't." With that, Ken walked out the front door, locking it behind him.

Wormmon shuddered slightly. There was something in the way Ken spoke that was oddly familiar to him. Something that he hadn't felt for a very long time. Wormmon silently prayed, both for Ken and for the people responsible for his family's losses.

Miyako was a firm believer in the idea that a family should have two cars, just in case something happened to either. Most days, Ken would've disagreed with her, saying that having two cars would've been an unnecessary expense. Today, however, Ken silently thanked his wife into talking him into buying a second car. Once inside, he took a cellphone out of his coat's inside pocket and dialed a number. A few moments passed before the person he was calling answered.

"Cheif Ikatani." She answered simply.

"It's me," he answered simply as well.

"Ichijouji. Rest well last night?"

"Well enough, I suppose." Ken couldn't see it, but his chief frowned. Most people in his position wouldn't be able to sleep after what happened if they were knocked unconscious. And here he was, saying he'd had an okay night's sleep, at the least.

"Alright then. Dr. Makino has your family in her lab. Go see her before you do anything else."

"Got it." He hung up and started his car's engine. Ken placed a hand on the back of his neck, rubbing a bit of soreness out of it. He said he slept alright, not that he was comfortable sleeping.

He drove to station's mortuary, where Dr. Ruki Makino awaited with her "pineapple hair," as Ken had once put it, and four darkened bodies on steel slabs. Ken entered her lab calmly, noting that she stood by one of the bodies with a clipboard in her hand. Dr. Makino looked up at him, an expression of confusion on her face.

"That's weird." She said.

"Something wrong, Doc?" Ken asked.

"Yeah. You." She pointed to his face. "You look fine."

"And that's a problem...?"

"Yeah. Most people look like hell the morning after something like this happens. You look like nothing even went wrong."

Ken rolled his eyes. "So I got some sleep last night. Big deal. Can we get to the autopsy results?"

"Can't."

"Why not?"

"Waiting for you." She handed Ken the clipboard. Consent forms were attached to the board.

"Since when did you need my permission to perform an autopsy?" Ken asked, noting the forms on the board.

"Since they were your family." She replied. "You know it's my policy to get consent from a victim's next of kin before performing an autopsy."

"You could've called."

"You can sign a form over the phone? When did you develop telekinesis?"

Ken rolled his eyes before signing the forms. He handed her the clipboard once he was finished. "Can we get on with it now?"

"You want to watch?" She asked quizzically, a smile slowly forming on her face.

"If you don't mind."

"Won't be necessary." A voice called out, taking both Ken and Makino by surprise. "These are our bodies now."

The two turned to the source of the voice. Three unfamiliar faces stood on the opposite side of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer in profile. From this point on, I'm going to play with the language barrier a bit. Speech that's italicized is in Japanese, since I'm both incapable of speaking the language and afraid of using sandpaper-like online translations.**

_Ken walked out of Ruki's lab, a smile of triumph on his face._

Ken scrutinized the trio that had somehow entered the lab without being heard. It was odd, but not nearly as odd as the ragtag group in front of him. A middle-aged man with faded gray hair stood in front of the other two. Ken assumed him to be the leader. Behind him, to Ken's left, stood another man. Much younger, with his slightly spiked hair fraying in multiple directions. Next to him stood a small woman. Ken guessed that she was the youngest, with her sleek black hair tied back. He was sure the men were American or British, but he couldn't tell where the woman could've been from.

He turned to Dr. Makino with a look of confusion. "_Who are these people supposed to be?"_

Dr. Makino shrugged. "_I dunno. I didn't let them in."_

The younger man leaned over to the woman on his left. "What did he just say?"

She simply shrugged. "I don't know. Japanese isn't in my repertoire."

"Well, I thought you could do all those Asian languages."

"Middle Eastern, Tony. Not Far Eastern."

"Well, excuse me for thinking you were reliable."

Ken rolled his eyes at their bickering. Their leader didn't seem too fazed.

"_Who are you people?" _Ken asked.

"Special Agent Gibbs," the older man answered, holding up a badge. "this," he pointed to the man behind him, "is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, and Special Agent Ziva David, NCIS."

DiNozzo raised his hand in a friendly wave. David simply nodded her head.

"_Great," _Ken said. "_Never heard of you."_

Tony looked confused again. "What did he say?"

"I don't know!" David snapped. "Why do you keep asking me?"

"I wasn't this time. I was speaking openly."

"Well, maybe you should be specific when you speak. Keep the confusion down to a minimum."

Ken rolled his eyes. "I said I've never heard of this 'NCIS'." He said in perfect English.

It was DiNozzo's turn to roll his eyes. "Figures. We never get credit for all the hard work we do."

Gibbs stepped forward. "'Naval Criminal Investigative Service'. Our job is to track down crimes involving the United States Navy and Marine Corps." He stood over the bodies. "As such, we'll be taking your family back with us."

"I don't think so." Ken objected. "First off, this crime happened on Japanese soil, making it my problem. Second off, it's _my_ family, so they're going where I say they go. Third, what does this have to do with you people in the first place? They're car bomb victims."

"As it would turn out," Tony spoke up. "Your wife was an informant for us."

Ken took a step back in shock. "What?"

"She was following some criminal activities we've been interested in back home," Tony continued. "Therefore, your problem is now our problem."

"No." Ken said. "They're staying right here."

Gibbs pulled a folded piece of paper out of his brown coat and held it out. "This order says otherwise."

Dr. Makino snatched the paper out of Gibbs' hand. "I'll take that," she said. "I decide what happens to my bodies."

Tony rasied an eyebrow to the comment, earning him an elbow to the ribs from Ziva. Makino read the paper over several times, not believing what it said. She took a deep breath before handing the paper to Ken.

"I can perform the autopsy whenever you're ready.."

"What?" Ken asked incredulously. He read over the paper himself. It contained orders from Chief Ikatani to release the bodies of his family to NCIS. Anger rapidly built up in his body. He stormed out of the lab, ignoring the stares he got from Tony and Ziva.

"Who put sake in his coffee?" Tony unceremoniously asked. Ziva jammed her elbow into his side again.

In the hallway, Ken slammed his fist into the wall. _What the hell is going on?_ Before he could take his frustration out on the wall any further, Ken decided to get to what he felt was the root of the problem. He took out his phone again and made a call.

"Chief Ikatani."

"Care to tell me what the hell is going on here?"

"Ichijouji. I suppose the order came down?"

"Yes. Now tell me what's going on."

"First," Ikatani replied, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice. "Lose the attitude. You're not doing yourself any favors talking to anyone like that, least of all me. Second, I didn't have a choice about it."

"Why not?"

"Orders from higher up. They didn't want Miyako's death sparking an international incident."

"How would that spark an international incident?" Ken asked, trying to piece together what he was being told.

"She was doing some work for an international police force, and her death could cause some unrest."

"So, why these people? Why this, 'NCIS'? Did they have some stake in this they didn't want another organization taking credit for?"

"In this case, no." Ikatani explained. "We received a report from NCIS that three US Marines had been kidnapped by an extremist group believed to be headquartered in the neighborhood you live in."

"What were US Marines doing in Japan?"

"Shore leave." She said simply.

"And that had what to do with Miyako?"

"We believe that the group that kidnapped the Marines was the same group that's based near where you live."

Ken furrowed his brows. "I still don't see what that has to do with my family being killed."

He could hear his chief sigh over the phone. "You'll have to ask NCIS about that. I don't have access to that kind of information."

Ken seethed. He didn't like where this was going.

"And what about my investigation?"

He could hear Ikatani let out a deep sigh. "For now, you don't have one."

"Hell no!" Ken quietly stressed, not wanting the phone conversation to reach unwarranted listeners. "This was _my_ family. I deserve to at least be involved!"

"Then talk to the lead investigator. This is now out of our hands."

It was Ken's turn to sigh deeply. He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his coat pocket. _Unbelievable, _Ken thought. _I have to convince someone from a completely different organization to let me help investigate my own family's murders. _He rubbed at the back of his neck again. The stiffness from earlier set in once again, and Ken could swear he could feel a migraine coming on. Ken shook his head, hoping to ward off the pain for at least a little while.

_Hopefully, _he thought, _this "Gibbs" is willing to listen to reason._ With that, Ken turned back to the lab and reentered. Whatever he was expecting to see, it wasn't a fuming Ruki glaring at him as he walked in. Gibbs, DiNozzo and David looked on in mild amusement.

Ken stopped in his tracks. His eyes darted back and forth between Ruki and the trio. "What?"

"_Make these people see sense!" _Ruki nearly screamed. Ken took a step back in surprise.

"_What's wrong?_" he asked.

Ruki began flailing her arms about in panic. "_These people want to take your family back with them to America!_"

Ken raised an eyebrow in amusement. It wasn't often that Ruki Makino lost her cool. But, in the rare times that she did, she always seemed like she would do something that belonged in a sitcom.

"_Now, why would they want to do that?"_

"_I don't know! Ask them!" _She pointed an accusing finger at Gibbs. Ken, with his brow still in the air, turned to the agents.

"So," he started. "My good doctor here says that you'd like to take these bodies to the United States. Is there a specific reason for this?"

"We'd like our medical examiner to take a look at them." Gibbs replied.

"Dr. Makino here is perfectly capable of performing a competent autopsy."

"I know," Gibbs nodded slightly. "But I'd like someone who can do a good autopsy to take a look."

Ruki's fire burned brighter at Gibb's statement. "Now listen here-" Ken shot Ruki a glare, causing her to stop and close her mouth rather sheepishly.

"Fine. I'll have them moved immediately." Gibbs started toward the door.

"But," Ken called, stopping him. "On one condition."

Gibbs slowly turned around.

"You include me during your investigation."

"We'll keep you in the loop."

"Not good enough, Special Agent."

"I'll see what I can do." He turned to his team. "Let's go." He walked out the lab, Ziva and Tony following behind.

"Think he'll let Kung Fu Panda join the investigation?" Tony whispered to Ziva.

"First off, he is Japanese and second, I doubt it." She responded.

"Okay then. Where are we going?" Tony asked.

"Scene of the crime," Gibbs answered.

Back in the lab, Ken stood with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face.

"What are you smiling about?" Ruki asked. "They're about to take your investigation and leave you in the dust!"

"They're headed to the scene." Ken answered.

"Which only proves my point!" Ruki screeched.

"They're in Tokyo."

"...and?"

He turned to Ruki, smirk still on his face. "They don't know their way around."

Ruki's eyes widened in realization as what he was getting at finally dawned on her. "Oh, you're a manipulative bastard."

"I know." The sliding door opened again as Gibbs walked in. "Make up your mind already?"

"Don't get your hopes up," Gibbs answered. "I just need you to get us to the scene."

"I'll see what I can do." Ken sneered. He turned to Ruki. "How soon can you have everybody ready to go?"

"An hour," she said. "But I won't be happy about it."

"Thanks." He turned back to Gibbs. "So then, do we have a deal?"

Gibbs stared at Ken for a few moments, debating the pros and cons of having a biased detective as a part of his investigation. He eventually came to a decision.

"Alright," he nodded. "But you report to me. Understood?"

"Understood."

With that, Gibbs tossed Ken a set of keys, which Ken deftly caught.

"You drive."

Ken walked out of Ruki's lab, a smile of triumph on his face.

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**Fail chapter is fail, but it didn't seem to work out any other way in my head. Not that this worked out too well either. Plus, I wanted to start the investigation so that I could get some Ken/minion interaction. We'll start the digging next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Holy cow via buckshot. This monster needs some love. I'd like to both thank and apologize to everyone who has this story either favorited or alerted. Somehow, this story's train of thought met the same fate as the Ichijouji family. For a while, I'd wanted to permanently shelf this tale, but after nearly a year and a half of repairs, I believe it's time to get this bad boy back into action.**

**Therefore, it's time to stop playing around.  
**

* * *

_They continued to scream, hoping that their cries could somehow reach someone's ears._

Ken briskly walked out to the lab's parking lot, following the American agent and taking note of a small black car that Tony and Ziva stood by, waiting by the rear passenger doors. They were clearly waiting to get in. Ken paused for a moment, a blank expression on his face.

"It's a rental, Shogun." Tony sneered. "Ever seen one before?"

"Tony!" Ziva snapped. "Shut up before you disappear without a trace."

Tony smiled slyly. "Why? You planning on taking me somewhere?"

"Yes, and you will not like it."

"Save the threats for later." Gibbs said, rolling everything north of his neck in the process. He walked up to the front passenger door. He turned to the spaced out Detective. "You coming?"

Ken snapped out of his reverie and pulled his phone from his pocket, thankful that it had a long-lasting battery. A day, or longer, like this tended to take its toll on less capable power sources. He dialed a phone number and waited for the voice to answer.

"Hey, it's me." He said. "I need you to do me a favor. Head on over to Ruki's lab and wait for me. I'm going your help with something...No, I don't know how long I'll be..." He rolled his eyes slightly. "I'm sure you and Ruki can find a way to entertain each other while you wait...Thanks." He hung up and turned to Gibbs.

"Sorry," he said. "Just had to call in a favor."

"Can we get moving now?" Gibbs asked.

"Sure." Ken answered, walking to the driver's door. As he moved to the door, he couldn't help but deliver a sharp slap to the back of Tony's head. Said Agent glared at Ken as the four entered the vehicle.

"So," Tony asked. "Why does Gloomy Gus get to drive?"

"Well, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied. "Do you know your way around Tokyo?"

"I got us here, didn't I?"

"Yes," Ziva said. "After embarrassing yourself in front of several civilians trying to get directions." Tony thought about delivering his junior teammate a glare as well. Remembering who he was speaking with, however, was enough to deter him.

Ken smiled as he started the car as Tony turned to shoot her an unamused look. "Buckle up," he said as he pulled the car out of the parking lot. "I don't feel like issuing tickets."

Several minutes and one awkwardly quiet car ride later, the foursome found themselves in the parking lot of the gas station where Ken lost everything important. One section of the lot, an area beside the gas pump where he parked the doomed vehicle, was cordoned off by police tape while the remainder of the lot saw regular use. Nothing that Ken could see had been moved or altered, as the twisted bane of his existence sat in the same fateful spot. Strange, considering that under normal circumstances, the scene would have been processed by the time the group arrived.

_Maybe the chief had something to do with it_. He thought to himself. _If I'm going to work this case, I might as well do as much as I can, I suppose._

"I guess an explosion doesn't deter good business," Tony mused.

"Gas stations stop for nobody." Gibbs said, exiting the car. Tony and Ziva followed suit, while Ken remained in the car.

Ken took a deep breath. Flashes of the night before ran through his mind. Miyako's smile. Shu's slow breathing. Rena and Sora's bickering. The dinner they shared. The burning mass of steel and flesh.

A wave of anger surged through him. He remembered the warning he'd given Wormmon, saying that whoever took his family had better hope he never caught them. Nodding to himself, he reaffirmed his vow. Whoever decided to cross him was going to pay.

"What a wonderful way to spend a weekend." he muttered under his breath.

A slight knock as the window snapped Ken out of his thoughts. Tony stood outside the door, a smile on his face.

"Can I help you, Agent DiNutso?" Ken asked through the glass.

"DiNozzo, Officer Panda." Tony answered, making no effort to hide his displeasure. "And yeah. See, we have this equipment we like to use when investigate a crime scene. Helps us collect evidence and all. Sometimes, when we have to travel around, we stash it in the trunk of the car we ride around in. Now, it's normally the driver's responsibility..."

"Yeah, yeah." Ken interrupted irritatedly. He thumbed the trunk release switch on the steering wheel. Ken opened the car door, nearly thumping Tony's legs with it.

"Next time," Ken said as he exited the vehicle. "Just ask." Tony stared incredulously as Ken walked toward the vehicle's remains. Ken smirked slightly, knowing he'd gotten the better of Tony.

"Well," Tony quipped to himself as the Japanese detective walked away. "That was rather rude."

Ken turned around for a moment, smirk still in place. "What is it you Americans say? 'Don't dish it if you can't take it'?"

Tony felt a leer coming on and did nothing to stop it. Ken started for the crime scene again, ignoring the American agent and feeling a little more triumphant.

Ziva and Gibbs stood just outside the taped scene as an officer blocked their path. Ken watched as the two agents impatiently spoke with the officer.

"_Look,"_ the young officer stressed, visibly frustrated. "_I've never heard of you people. Now take your __fake badges and leave before I place you both under arrest."_

"I'm getting the feeling that he doesn't believe us," Ziva quipped.

"You think?" Gibbs asked. He turned back to the officer. Ken walked up to the pair as they prepared for another round of unfriendly banter.

"I'll handle this." He told the Americans as he pulled his badge from his belt. He then regarded the officer standing guard and held said badge up at eye level.

Said officer snapped straight. "_Sir!_" He then lifted the tape so that Ken could enter.

Ken nodded thumbed toward the agents to his side. "_They're with me._" The guard raised a questioning eyebrow. "_International case_." With that, the Japanese Detective waved the American agents in behind him. Tony, forensic equipment in hand, chased after the three, barely making it to the tape.

A couple of steps in, though, and the Americans were the only ones moving about. Ken stared at the wreckage. So many questions swam through his head. Why would Miyako be working for another country? Why wouldn't she tell him about it? Who wanted her out of the way badly enough to make a public display of it?

"You okay, Detective?" A cool voice snapped him clear once again.

Ken shook his head a bit. "Yeah."

Gibbs nodded toward the canopy covering the gas pumps. "Cameras above."

Ken looked up as well. Indeed, security cameras were posted in strategic locations, watching all who used the pumps.

He turned to Gibbs. "You think they saw something?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Worth a look."

Ken nodded. Maybe they caught something he missed. Without further exchanging words, Ken silently agreed to see about the footage. It was for the best, really. There was no real reason to keep the Detective there when the scene clearly distracted him.

And clearly, it distracted him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Whoops. Last chapter saw a flub that shouldn't have happened. How I didn't catch it, I don't know, but the last parts happened a little too early. Nothing big leaked, but it's still a mistake I shouldn't have let happen.**

**Also, a couple of minor changes took place, because in my haste I flat out deleted my mistake rather than cutting it out. Again, nothing major.**

* * *

Tony, camera in hand, watched as Ken made his way toward the station's store.

"Seriously," he asked Ziva, who was rummaging through the supply case for her tools. "What do you think his story is?"

"Everyone has to have a story?" Ziva asked.

A scoff. "Of course. Look, this was this guy's family, right?"

"Yes. So?"

"'So'? Doesn't this whole thing seem odd to you?"

Ziva scrunched her face in confusion. "Should it seem odd?"

Tony rolled his eyes as he snapped a couple of shots. "This was his family. Why is he being allowed to work the case? Back home, if a relative is a victim, you don't get to work the case."

The point finally dawned on Ziva."Because it would create a construct of interest."

Another roll. "'Conflict'. So who's idea was it that this guy gets to investigate his family's bombing?"

"Does it matter?" A voice asked from behind. Tony turned to see Gibbs looking over his shoulder.

"Just curious, boss." Tony answered, slightly unnerved by his superior's eerie listening ability. "Doesn't it seem weird to you?"

Gibbs said nothing. Instead, he simply turned and walked away, preparing to check over another section of the scene. Tony and Ziva traded looks with one another before resuming their task of evidence collection.

"Wrong guy to ask."

* * *

Ken walked into the store and instantly froze. Flashes of images from the night before passed before his eyes. Smiling faces around a table. Darkened theatre seats. Arguing children. Sharing a kiss with his wife. Medicine in hand. A brilliant flash. Fire.

Smoke.

Burning.

"...ey..." A distant voice called out to him. He mentally scrunched. It wasn't a voice that he recognized.

"...Hey..." There it was again. A couple of seconds passed in complete silence.

"Hey!" This time, sharper and louder. Enough to snap Ken back to reality once more. This time, he took a step back in surprise. The source of the voice stood right in front of him. His eyes were met with matching emerald rings returning his gaze. Waist length hair, though tied into a simple ponytail, found its way around the owner's shoulder. Light pink lips pursed themselves while the remaining facial features were slightly twisted in a look of confusion.

"...uh..."

For all the intellect the former child genius possessed, it was quickly becoming clear to him that his speaking ability was not that great post-space-out.

"'Uh'?" The clerk repeated sarcastically. "You walk in here like you own the place, then decide to lose it right in front of our door and all you have to say for yourself is 'uh'?"

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Not exactly a warm greeting for a potential customer, is that?"

The clerk huffed. "Whatever. At least you're looking alright."

Ken twisted his own face into confusion. "Huh?"

This time, eyes rolled. "I was working last night, remember? When that..." She pointed to the wreckage. "...happened."

"Oh, right." Ken said. Truth be told, he didn't quite remember.

The clerk started back toward the counter. "Like I said, it's good to see that you're okay."

Ken shrugged a bit. "I've been better, to be honest."

"I can imagine. Not many people have good nights when something like last night happened." Slowly nodding, Ken walked over to the counter. The clerk leaned onto it, resting an elbow on it and settling her head into her hand.

"So, you were working last night?" He asked. The clerk leaned onto the counter top.

"S' what I said." She answered.

"And you're back at it today?"

"Gas stations stop for nobody, ya know." She shrugged. "Doesn't really bother me, though. There are somethings in this world you just can't predict, right?"

Ken raised a mental eyebrow. Just what was that supposed to mean? Did she naturally take the explosion of a vehicle and the deaths of its occupants with a grain of salt? Or did something happen to her that the night before would seem like a small matter.

Deciding that he would file that away for internal debate some other time, Ken dug his hands into his side pockets.

"Those security cameras underneath the cover," he started, looking out to the scene. "Do they work?"

"About as well as I do," the clerk answered, a strange smile stretching across her features. "And I do my job _exceptionally well._"

* * *

The click of a shutter precedes the question. "So, what do you think?"

Ziva, who'd managed to slide into some of the wreckage, scrunched her face in both confusion and discomfort.

"What do you mean?" She asked through burnt fabric and steel.

"What do you mean what do I mean?" Tony asked in a sarcastic tone. "I mean, why would you let someone investigate their own relatives' deaths?"

"I would not. We already established that is not the proper thing to do."

Shutter clicks sound off again as Tony continued to take photos. "Yeah. So why would this guy's chief, assuming it was him, give him a chance to run with the case?"

Ziva wedged her way deeper into the wreckage, continuing to search for evidence. "Perhaps his commanding officer felt compassionate and that he could perform his duty objectively."

"Yeah, that's a little too optimistic."

The female member of the pair wriggled her way out, grunting and groaning with effort as she did. Once out, it was all Tony could do to keep his guffaws in check.

"So, what do you suggest?" She asked, unaware of how her adventure into the remains altered her appearance. Her hair frayed out in various directions while her clothes and face were covered in soot.

Tony gulped down his laughter, if only to try and keep from tipping his junior off. "My guess? He's involved."

Ziva offered Tony an unamused look. "Is this another one of your conspiracy theories?"

"What? No." Tony answered, feigning shock. "Besides, you've got a little something..." He pointed a finger to his nose. "...here."

Ziva rubbed at her nose, spreading the soot a little more. "Is it gone?" Tony shook his head, prompting Ziva to try again. "Now?"

Tony, desperate to get away, nodded. "Yep. Got it." With that, he hurried away to do something else somewhere else. Ziva watched him for a moment before shaking her head in confusion.

* * *

A flash from the night before passed through the back of Ken's mind. That's right. She was the same way the night before. He'd respectfully turned down her advances then, too, and opted to temporarily forget the concept of 'sexual harassment' and play it off as a joke.

Nothing better in a situation like this like sticking with what worked. "That's good. I'm going to need the footage from last night for evidence."

The smile quickly faded as the clerk stood up. "Sorry, but I don't have access to them, and besides, you're not a..." The sentence dies on her lips as he produced his badge to show her. "...okay, but I still can't get them for you. You need a warrant."

Ken raised an eyebrow. "I need permission to obtain evidence for a crime that neither you nor your employers are suspects in?"

She shrugged. "Look, I don't make the rules. I just follow 'em."

Ken rolled his eyes. Of _course_ it wouldn't be that easy. Investigating these things rarely is. Looking around the store, more to come up with an idea to get those tapes without needing to dance around red tape than to find something to eat, his eyes caught a glimpse of a sunglass rack.

_Well, _he thought to himself, _if I can't get the tapes that easily, maybe I can get something else and make my little trip in here worthwhile._

He strolled over to the rack, unaware of the now puzzled look from the clerk behind him. He scanned over the various pairs, trying to decide on which set he liked best. As he did, a small thought crossed the back of his mind and a small smile across his lips.

_Miyako would end me if she knew I was looking at these._

His eyes settled on a simple pair. Black frames with purple-tinted lenses. Letting the smile grow a bit, he slid them on, taking a look at himself in a mirror on the display.

_At least they look good._ He mused.

"I'll take these," he said as he made his way to the counter, setting them down. "And your name."

The clerk raised an eyebrow. "My name?"

"Of course. You're a witness. I'll need a statement from you somewhere down the line."

"Fair enough." The smile grew once again. "My name's Orimoto. Orimoto Izumi. And those, will be 1100 Yen."

Ken nodded, making the mental note as he reached for his money. "Fair trade." Once the purchase was complete, the Detective made his way out of the store and back toward the scene. He may not have gotten what he wanted, but at least he got himself a nice pair of sunglasses.

_Just have to start appreciating little things. Gotta try and keep myself together._

* * *

**I must say, I'm amazed at how popular this story has become, despite the fact that I ruined the main character's life thus far. It's great to have one story have so much attention, and I thank everyone who has this story on their Favorites or Alerts list.  
**

**Shameless plug: If anyone is interested in the very latest from the Deadman**_,_** information can be found on my profile.**


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